Ready for Kindergarten

Studies show that the first five years of life determine a child’s long-term learning path — whether that child will succeed and graduate from high school or struggle and fall behind throughout his or her school career.

Preparing a child for school doesn’t start the moment he or she walks into the kindergarten classroom. The preparations start the moment that child is born.

Students’ very first classroom is their home environment. Their lessons are the words they hear, the books they’ve been read and the world they’re exposed to in their formative years. Studies show that the first five years of life determine a child’s long-term learning path — however, in Nebraska, 40 percent of children live in low-income households where the opportunity for this type of enriched, early learning may not always present itself to families struggling to make ends meet. As a result, the moment these students walk into a kindergarten classroom, they’re likely already behind their peers.

In this film, see why intentional early learning programs have become crucial for children from at-risk backgrounds and learn just what it takes to get all children Ready for Kindergarten.